Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1887-02-05

w aiker nao escaped from the night.
breaking out Of the grove and riding of
on horse just as the conflict closed in.
Men belonging to the Overland had met
and talked with him east of Kearney. He
had three wounds, but seemed uncon.
scious Of them as he briefly related the
story of the fight, and vowed that he
would have the lives of five Indians for
every white person who had persisted.
Nothing further was heard of him until
June of the following year. was then
in Government employ as a scout and de-
spatch rider, and was on the Smoky Hill
Fork of the Kansas River, twenty miles
west of Fort Mcpherson. riding with two
other scouts, when We came upon Grin
Walker. He had gone east after the
massacre, and had built for himself
bullet-proof wagon. It was great cage
on wheels. and everything about it was
made Of iron. Wheels. box, bottom,
top-every part Of it was bullet proof.
1t was pierced CT loopholed in City places
for musketry, ventilated at the top, aud
was drawn by four mules. The man
must have had considerable means at his
disposal to pay for a vehicle like that,
and he had come all the way from Coun-
ell Bluffs alone. The interiS-- was fitted
up with rsseping berth, iron tanks for
holding food and water, and he had come
back to the plains TO keep his vow. But
for his guinness the idea would have
raised a laugh. He must have been en-
route for many long days, and he GER
tainly had passed through many perils.
We heard afterward that as he reached
the fort one afternoon, and it became
knows that he would push on, every
effort was made to dissnade him. For
time he was silent-grim-deaf. Then
he pointed to the northeast and said:
There lie the bones of my children
and friends, and l will not rest until l
have avenged them twice over"
They told him the country was alive
with hostiles, and that every rod of the
way was beset with perils; but as the
sun went down he harnessed his mules
TO the iron tongue, climbed into the sad
die, and without nod of farewell to any
one he rode to the west in the gathering
cloom-more grim, more determined,
more of devil than human being. He
had travelled good share of the night
over country in which death lurked in
every ravine, but the watchful savages
had not espied him. He had travelled
until mid-afternoon next day along q
trail where savages outnumbered the
snakes twenty to one. but somehow they
had missed him. Wewere riding at full
speed for the fort keeping the shelter Of
the diy ravines and the valleys, and ex-
prcting at any moment to be pursued,
s.fhr.
wagon stood IN the open prairie, at least
bslf mile from the river and the shelter
0. the cottonwcodss Tho four mnles hsd
'leen unharnessed and turned out 10
Craze, and the man was cooking his srp-
ter at campfire, the smoke of which
would draw Indians for ten miles around.
Our establishment when we found him
there alone kept us dumb for few min
utes. We sa. on our horses and stared
at him, and he greeted our presence by
mere nod. When l recognized him as
Grim Walker l began to suspect the
enterprise he had on foot, and after /
had put few questions he briefly ex-
planned:
II am here to ki;i Indians. You can
ook my wagon over If you want to-"
II was what have described. He had
barrel OF moro Of fresh water, lot Of
1our and meat, a small stove to coo3
IN, aud perfect arsenal Of firearms. 1t
! was evident that the Indians could not
/ get at him with bullets nor tomahawk.
/ l0r lire. and it would take weeks to
,tarve him out. There was only one
I hing that trouhsed the man. His stock
would be killed off at once when he was
attacked, and he would then have % way
If moving his wagon. We helped him
out OF his dilemma by agreeing to take
were piled into his house, and it was un-
ierstood that he would come for the
mules when he wanted them. He had a
compass, and we gave him the exact
bearings, and as we rode away he was
( preparing to toast another piece Of meat,
seeming utterly unconcerned over the
hangers Of his surroundings. As to what
happened him during the next three
weeks had a few meagre details from
his own lips, but plenty Of Information
from warriors who afterward became
friendly That is. when licked out
of their boots half dozen times. their
villages destroyed, many Of their ponies
;hot. and their squaws and children
driven to temporary starvation, they
cried for peace in order to recruit and
make ready for another campaign.
The campfire which Grim Walker built
saved the three Of us from being am
pushed. A warrior told me that forty
savages were between us and the fort
when the smoke led them to believe that
\ large party Of immigrants must be
.amped in the bottoms. Il could only
BE- large party which would dare build
such a fire in a hostile country. The
warriors were all drawn of by signal 10
attack the larger game. and netore sun
down that evening two hundred murder
gus redskins were Opening their eyes
very wide at the site of the one lone
wagon anchored on the prairie under
'heir noses. How did il get therel
Where were the horses or mulesi Was
i occupiedl They must have asked
themselves these questions over and over
again, but there stood tho wagon. grim.
silent, mysterious. The whole band
Bnally moved down for a closer inspcc-
lion. believing the vehicle had been
abaudOnpd and honeful that sonefhinr,